When GOP Sens. John McCain and Lindsey Graham stepped before the cameras Wednesday and renewed their calls for a Watergate-like committee to probe the Sept. 11 terrorist attack in Libya, their longtime partner — Sen. Joe Lieberman – was noticeably missing.

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Lieberman later emerged from a classified, closed-door briefing with a much different message: A special congressional committee is unnecessary — at least for now. Lieberman says his Homeland Security Committee could handle a broad investigation into the deadly Benghazi assault just fine.

Unanswered questions about what actually happened at the U.S. consulate in Benghazi that night, what information was shared about the attack and why Americans there didn’t have greater security has created divisions among longtime friends and between fellow Republicans.

Further complicating matters is the fact that retired Gen. David Petraeus resigned last week as CIA director over an extramarital affair with his biographer, and some are worried the affair may have jeopardized Benghazi-related national security matters.

Maine Sen. Susan Collins, the top Republican on the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, backed up her chairman, Lieberman, and dinged McCain, a member of the panel, for missing Wednesday’s nearly two-hour briefing in the Capitol.

Both Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin, “who was there at briefing, and Sen. McCain, who was not, are members of our committee, and I know they would play very important roles,” Collins told POLITICO after the briefing.

“I do not see the benefit of creating a brand new committee when we already have the Senate’s chief oversight committee, plus the Intelligence Committee, examining this very important matter.”

McCain spokesman Brian Rogers said Thursday the senator missed the meeting because of a “scheduling error.”

Collins hit on one of the challenges of probing the Benghazi attack, which killed Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans. It reaches across the State Department, Pentagon, Central Intelligence Agency and FBI. And a number of House and Senate committees, including Intelligence, Armed Services and Foreign Relations, want a piece of the action.

Petraeus, a four-star general, could provide classified testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee as early as Thursday given that his agency was running a covert operation from the Libya consulate.

FBI Director Robert Mueller and Deputy Director Sean Joyce met with the heads of the House Select Committee on Intelligence Wednesday in a 90-minute closed-door briefing on the investigation into Petraeus’s affair.

Watergate style? All that means is big and long and on TV. The election is over but Graham and McCain are still playing politics. Senator Collins is right — Oversight and Intelligence can do the job just fine, in fact probably better since Graham won't be there to pontificate for the cameras.

When the U.N. Ambassador, 5 days After the Benghazi Terrorist Attack on anniversary of 9/11,

goes on 5 different Sunday shows and insists Benghazi was just spontaneous protests due to a silly video.... most average Americans who've paid attention to Benghazi story from the beginning--- KNEW SOMEBODY'S TRYING TO COVER-UP SOMETHING IN BENGHAZI.

Americans have higher expectations from our U.N. Ambassador. We'd like to be able to believe a high level official, such as the U.N. Ambassador.

Just another manufactured controversy , courtesy of the Republicons , so what else is new ? This is all that pathetic party has , they've got nothing else , from one conspiracy to another , from one false accusation to another . Not a one has proved to be anything other than a load of B.S. , but that doesn't stop the brain washed stooges from going rabid .Talk about desperation ! LOL

All of this whining and carrying on about Benghazi (and now Patraeus) is just the right's attempt to distract the public from the fiscal cliff negotiations. Good to hear that Collins etc. are showing some common sense. The last thing Washington needs is more "committees". McCain--until 2008 election I had a lot of respect for this guy. He's fallen a long way and he keeps falling. Too bad.

First of all, my heart goes out to those who lost loved ones in Benghazi. It was truly a tragedy. It's never acceptable to loose fellow Americans.

As for the focus of our politicians, McCain appears to present his position as an unhappy old man (nothing against age). McCain should be focused on how to work out the economic challenges and leave the investigation to the professionals. I remember when he left his campaign to deal with the economic issues, now he's focused on a witch hunt. It's sad! This is typical political strategy to create a diversion. I'm confident the Benghazi tragedy will be investigated properly. McCain just wants to turn it into a political diversion. Please get back to work and focus on a common agreement with the President.

I may not agree with everything President Obama does or says, but I feel like he tries to do the right thing and tell the truth. I can't say that for many of the politicians today. If they would just do their jobs instead of catering to their special interest groups and playing spin doctors we would be so much better off!

AspenFreePress: You're the idiot why haven't you looked up the Lebanon Marine attack and you'd know how political and foolish the GOP is on similar incidents. Reagan's' Generals warned him if he took sides in peace keeping, we would be attacked, but he shelled Hezbollah anyway. Then he allowed all 241 Marines in 1 barrack with straight drive in access to kill all the Marines sleeping in on a Sunday morning. After the debacle, he withdrew like a weak intimidated weak Leader. Then latter sold IRAN which is Hezbollah, weapons that were used against us again latter, and when caught lied about it, and between him and Bush, let all the co conspirator go free .. Ever herd of Oliver North, a traitor the GOP calls a hero. While the DNC didn't chew him up for his traitor bumbling anything like this false witch hunt you're using instead of working on jobs.

To those parroting the ObamaThug line of "move along, nothing to see here", you should be ashamed of yourselves! Americans died due to colossal incompetence by Obama both before during and after the attack and this Thug "president" has been desperately trying to cover it up! He lied and lied and lied - with the collusion of the newly focused "journos" - to sneak past an undeserved reelection and you are going with it?!?

Petraeus better be careful; he knows too much and Obama's blackmail backfired. P better watch his back, when Pres ShortPants doesn't like the Truth, he makes sure that the Truther disappears....

and now, the families of the Fort Bastion attack are coming forward as well - another loss of American soldiers (and eight expensive and hi tech aircraft as well) and the media completely covered it up prior to the election.

I'm glad that Petraus is testifying, if for no other reason than to shut up the ct'ers. But since we already know that the White House and the State Department reported the information that the intelligence community was giving them in real time, I have to ask, what cover-up?